Many Vacaville drivers have been hearing about new advances in power steering technology, specifically, electric power steering. Some very high-end cars have been featuring electric power steering for a few years. An electric motor directly provides the power assist to make steering easier. Undoubtedly we’ll see much more of this in Vacaville as full electric cars and electric hybrids become more common.

The vast majority of cars and trucks serviced at Motoring Specialists in Vacaville use a hydraulic power boost system. With hydraulics, fluid is pressurized by a pump which actuates a hydraulic cylinder to reduce steering effort. Some of these pumps are powered by an electric motor. Most pumps are powered by the serpentine belt driven by the engine.

Power steering fluid has the necessary hydraulic properties and the ability to lubricate the internal parts. The power steering fluid also protects BMW components from rust and corrosion.

Vacaville car owners should be aware that manufacturers recommend that the fluid be replaced on schedule. At Motoring Specialists, the old fluid is drained and the system cleaned thoroughly. Fresh fluid is then installed.

Unfortunately, many Vacaville people don’t realize how important it is to service their power steering, or even that it should be done at all. A neglected power steering system can develop leaks and the pump won’t last as long.

Signs that you may be having problems with your power steering include the need to constantly add power steering fluid, a loud whining from the pump, erratic power assist or high steering effort. If you’re experiencing any of these problems, have your power steering checked out at Motoring Specialists in Vacaville.

In addition to the pump and hydraulic system, there are mechanical parts in the steering system. The rods, arms, joints and knuckles that actually turn the wheels can become worn or damaged. A standard alignment service includes an inspection of steering components.

If you notice any play in the steering wheel, that the steering wheel is off center, or a noise coming from your front wheels, especially when turning, have your Motoring Specialists advisor do an inspection so the problem can be corrected. Waiting too long could cause uneven tire wear and may even lead to steering failure. Call Motoring Specialists today at 707-448-1282.

Today’s Motoring Specialists auto maintenance article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your BMW air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Sacramento/San Fransico.

Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your BMW’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. All Sacramento/San Fransico drivers know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And, on many BMWs, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures as you drive around Sacramento/San Fransico.

Now on some BMWs, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt. So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That’s why manufacturers and your service advisor at Motoring Specialists have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn’t fail.

Your Sacramento/San Fransico service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

There’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. At Motoring Specialists, we recommend that the tensioner be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your BMW. And it’s not that expensive to replace in Sacramento/San Fransico – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

Suspension systems will continue to operate effectively for many years and tens of thousands of miles. Eventually BMW components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive in Fairfield.

As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth CA highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, BMW suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road. Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your BMW manufacturer recommends periodic inspections.

During an inspection at Motoring Specialists, your honest Fairfield service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts. Let me give a rundown of the major suspension components.

First there are the springs. The springs hold the weight of the vehicle. There are several kinds of springs. Springs are obviously heavy duty parts that rarely break or wear out. Shock absorbers work in conjunction with springs to smooth out the ride and help keep the tires on the road. The shocks are key to handling performance and ride comfort.

You’ve probably heard of struts. They combine a shock absorber and a coil spring in one unit. Shocks and struts will wear out over time. There are some signs that shocks or struts are wearing out. The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your BMW dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, visit Motoring Specialists for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. If your BMW suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so take care of these things.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your Motoring Specialists service advisor because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

There different grades of shocks and struts. You always want to use a replacement shock or strut that equals the one that came as original equipment when your BMW was new. But remember, they were designed to meet the expected needs of the broad range of Fairfield people who buy that particular vehicle. Your needs may be more specialized.

For example if you want increased handling performance for your BMW, your honest Motoring Specialists advisor can recommend an upgraded shock or strut to give you what you want. If you haul heavy loads or trailers, you can get a more heavy duty shock absorber.

The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for Vacaville drivers. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the BMW engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause BMW engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at Motoring Specialists. At high speeds on Vacaville freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Back in the old days, engine makers simply installed a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, laws mandated that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the BMW’s engine.

This is much better for the environment and it saves gas too. (Budget-conscious Vacaville drivers take note!) The little valve that controls all this action is the PCV valve. The PCV valve lets gases out of the engine, but won’t let anything back in. Over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV Valve at Motoring Specialists and quick and inexpensive to replace. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Vacaville drivers don’t know about it. Check your BMW owner’s manual or ask your Motoring Specialists service advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a replacement.

There’s another aspect to the PCV system. In order for the valve to work correctly, it needs a little clean air to come in. This is done through a breather tube that gets some filtered air from the engine air filter. Now some vehicles have a small separate air filter for the breather tube called the breather element. That’ll need to be replaced at Motoring Specialists when it gets dirty.

Please ask your honest Vacaville service advisor about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals in Vacaville, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

Welcome to the Motoring Specialists blog. Today, let’s talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us Dixon drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Safe Dixon drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Dixon conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. If it’s really bad, Dixon drivers can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your BMW tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new Motoring Specialists tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop your BMW on wet Dixon roads.

So that’s why it’s so important to replace our BMW tires when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out BMW tire.

At Motoring Specialists, we want our customers to know that the deeper recommended tread depth makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet Dixon roads. A safe stop from CA freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your BMW tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

Many Dixon car owners have heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount. Of course, BMW tires are a big ticket item. Most of us in Dixon want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of Sacramento/San Fransico folks driving around on under-inflated tires. Now, it’s hard to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your BMW tire’s considered significantly under inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.

New laws required manufacturers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all cars and light trucks by the 2008 model year. The system has a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25% below manufacturer’s pressure recommendations.

This technology has been used by Sacramento/San Fransico race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from under inflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. It’s up to your car’s manufacturer to determine which of many TPMS systems available they’ll use to comply with the law.

Obviously, all of this doesn’t come free for Sacramento/San Fransico drivers. U.S. government studies have estimated the net costs. Of course, the TPMS system itself will cost something. Maintaining the system will have a cost, replacement of worn or broken parts and tire repair cost increases.

The costs are partially offset by savings in fuel and tire wear. There’s also a saving in property damage and travel delay. The net cost is estimated to be between $27 and $100. The government predicts fewer fatal accidents. They estimate that it will cost between three and nine million dollars for every life saved.

Your safety has always been a concern at Motoring Specialists. We want you on the road and accident free. We’ve traditionally provided things like tire rotations, snow tire mounting and flat fixes at a very low cost. We’ve been able to quickly and cheaply provide the service, and pass the low cost on to you as an expression of our good will.

That’s why we’re concerned about how you’ll perceive the changes that this new law will force. Every time a tire is changed: taken off to fix a flat, a new tire installed, a snow tire mounted; the Motoring Specialists service technician is now going to have to deal with the TPMS system.

Even a simple tire rotation will require that the monitor be reprogrammed to the new location of each tire. When a car battery is disconnected, the TPMS system will need to be reprogrammed. TPMS sensor batteries will need to be changed and failed parts replaced.

Like all other Sacramento/San Fransico service centers, here at Motoring Specialists we’ve had to purchase new scanning equipment to work with the TPMS sensors and to update expensive tire change equipment to better service wheels equipped with the new monitoring systems. Our Motoring Specialists service technicians have been thoroughly trained on many systems and new tire-changing techniques. All of this adds up to significantly increased cost to perform what was once a very inexpensive service for you.

So when you start so see the cost of tire changes, flat repairs and rotations going up at Motoring Specialists, please keep in mind that it’s because of government mandated safety equipment. We want to keep you safely on the road – and we’re committed to doing it at a fair price. This new safety equipment will help you avoid the most common types of vehicle failure in Sacramento/San Fransico, and possibly a catastrophic accident.

When your BMW breaks down, or just needs some routine service, you might get a little nervous. Your car’s so important to your life in Fairfield, you need to back on the road as soon as possible – with the problem fixed right the first time.

If you’ve ever checked into some of the technician training Motoring Specialists professionals receive, you may be surprised at how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. Let me give you some perspective. Today there are four cylinder engines that make more power than the V-8’s in luxury cars twenty years ago. I mean a new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket’s Ferrari in a race to sixty.

Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up – even with steep Fairfield gas prices. And they’re so reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. The modern cars driving around Fairfield roads are so much more complex from a mechanical standpoint that it makes your head spin – not to mention the electronics.

Some cars have several networked computers controlling most of the engine functions and many other vehicle functions as well. Fairfield motorists take all of this sophistication for granted – but somebody has to fix it when it breaks. It’s a real challenge for Motoring Specialists technicians to keep up, but we work hard to stay ahead of the technology. It requires a high level of commitment on the part of the technician and the Fairfield service center as well.

In addition to the training, there’s the financial commitment to purchase the diagnostic and repair tools. Motoring Specialists technicians receive training through a combination of formal classroom training, training provided at Motoring Specialists by parts and equipment manufacturers, on-line courses and home study courses.

There are many independent certifications available at Motoring Specialists all the way up to Master Technician. The ability to repair your BMW requires a strong combination of training and resources. No one can know everything, so Fairfield auto service centers subscribe to data services, technical libraries and even on-line communities that can help them when they run into a difficult problem.

It’s like those medical diagnosis shows on TV. Here are the symptoms – what’s the diagnosis and treatment? Diagnosis is every bit as much an art as a science. At Motoring Specialists, we want everything to be simple, straightforward and cheap – but sometimes it just isn’t.

So try to be more relaxed next time you bring us your BMW. You’re in good hands.

Looking at getting some new tires? The choices at Fairfield tire stores can be a little overwhelming. Suppose you have an SUV and are trying to decide between all season tires or some that are also rated for off-highway. Do you get off the payment on the outskirts of Fairfield more than most? If so, some additional off-road traction would be nice.

Maybe the real reason for wanting those off-highway tires is that they look cool. Well there’s nothing wrong with that. If you make sure that you’ve got your functional needs covered with your selection, then you can have some fun with where you go from there.

Let’s suppose you zip around Fairfield in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather’s good. When CA weather turns cold, you can put on high-performance winter tires. For the kind of driving you like to do, you want full-on performance tires. All-season tires are naturally a compromise that works well for most Fairfield drivers, but since you have a choice, go for dedicated summer and winter tires.

When it’s time for new tires, visit with a knowledgeable Motoring Specialists tire professional. Describe your needs and wants. He’ll come up with some selections for you to discuss. And once you settle on a type of tire, there are options for special needs: like pulling a trailer or carrying heavy loads.

Tires are one of the biggest purchases for Fairfield drivers. With so many choices, you’ll be able to get what’s best for you. Take their time. And don’t worry about what’s in stock. If you want something that isn’t here at Motoring Specialists, manager Larry Anderson can order it. Chances are you’ll be rolling on your new tires in a couple of days.

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your BMW engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected car driving down Vacaville, Fairfield, and Dixon roads.

Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Sacramento/San Fransico auto industry as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine.

A few auto makers have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some Sacramento/San Fransico dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems.

Although more complicated, direct injection technology promises greater power with improved fuel economy for gas-poor Vacaville, Fairfield, and Dixon commuters. CA motorists can expect to see more of it in the future.

High temperatures under your BMW hood and variations in Sacramento/San Fransico gas quality cause fuel injectors to be fouled with wax, dirt, water, additives and carbon. Injectors can become partially clogged, preventing them from delivering the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure.

When injectors are dirty, the fuel doesn’t burn as efficiently resulting in poor fuel economy and loss of power. So it’s important for Vacaville drivers keep their fuel injectors clean.

Your Vacaville Motoring Specialists service center can perform a fuel system service for you in which the fuel injectors are cleaned so that they operate properly and deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time.

Proper maintenance of your BMW fuel system means that you will spend less on gas, enjoy strong performance and prevent costly Sacramento/San Fransico repair bills down the road.

Wheel alignment is often overlooked by busy Fairfield and Dixon car owners until serious tire damage has been done. One wheel can be knocked out of alignment from the rest by hitting a curb or pothole on Sacramento/San Fransico roads.

When a vehicle’s out of alignment, one or more of the wheels does not track true and pulls against the others. The tires will wear out very quickly and will need to be replaced prematurely. It could also lead to BMW suspension damage.

But the big issue for Fairfield, Dixon, and Vacaville motorists is safety. When your BMW wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident. When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away at Motoring Specialists in Vacaville.

At Motoring Specialists, your vehicle is put on an alignment rack where the tires, steering and suspension parts are checked for damage. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the factory settings.

Adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels going in precisely the same direction.

Signs of alignment problems are: Your car pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight. If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, you should have your Sacramento/San Fransico service center look it over. If you’ve been in an auto accident in CA that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked.

A big jolt can seriously knock things out of alignment, but Fairfield drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up.

That’s why your manufacturer recommends periodic alignment checks. If your BMW owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate. Or check with Larry Anderson or your service advisor at Motoring Specialists in Vacaville.

One thing’s for sure: the cost of the alignment at Motoring Specialists is cheaper than having to buy a couple of new tires because of neglect.